My name is Carlo DeVito, and I am the author of East Coast Wineries: A Complete Guide from Maine to Virginia published by Rutgers University Press. This blog is dedicated to primarily east coast wines and wineries including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It will also feature products and information from other regions.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Wagner Meritage 2010 - An Achievement (NY)

One of the things about this business that’s kind of fun is
meeting all the individuals you come across when working in it. You meet
mavericks, scions, dabblers, perfectionists, etc. And of course there are
dynasties. And that’s where Wagner Vineyard comes in.

Four generations of the Wagner family have grown grapes in
the deep glacial soils on the eastern slope of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes
Region of New York. This heritage of grape growing has provided them with an
intimate connection to the land. Since 1978, they have been making wine, and today
they cultivate 250 acres of grapes and produce 50,000 cases of wine per year.

Wagner Vineyards was founded in Lodi, New York, by Bill
Wagner, a lifelong resident of the area and grape grower for over fifty years.
Bill began plans for his estate winery soon after passage of the Farm Winery
Act in 1976. Construction of the distinctive eight-sided building, Bill's own
design, was completed and the winery opened its doors in June of 1979. It rapidly
developed into a major attraction in the Finger Lakes region and hosts over
100,000 visitors each year.

Wagner is unique in that it is also home to a brewing
operation – Wagner Brewing Co was launched in 1997 and provides our beer loving
patrons with a variety of award-winning craft-brewed beers to taste while
visiting. Six standard brews are complemented by a variety of seasonal
specialties.

Over the years Wagner has grown into a major label in the
Finger Lakes in terms of quantity and quality. And with wine and beer at the
same facility, it’s always a fun visit, and one of the most popular in all the
Finger Lakes!

One of the unique things, the secret weapon, if you will, of
Wagner, is the winemaking team of Joh Herbert and Ann Raffetto. They are two
incredibly accomplished winemakers, and also two of the nicest people you will
ever meet! They do an incredible job for Wagner making great wines with a wide
variety of grapes….everything from Niagara and Melody and Delaware, to
sparkling, to blush, to Cabernet Sauvignon. And they do a terrific job with
every style. They are amazing!

John Herbert: “I received a home winemaking kit from my
grandmother for my 21st birthday. I was living in Philadelphia at the time, and
the following year, I made a batch of Zinfandel from grapes I bought at the
Italian Market in South Philly. That was when I knew I wanted to be a
winemaker. Shortly after this, a friend introduced me to the Finger Lakes
region. When my wife, Susan, and I saw this area, with all the grapes and wine,
we decided to move up here and find work. The center of the wine industry was
in Hammondsport at the time, and the industry was in decline. I got a job
working for a construction company, and as luck would have it, we got a job
building a shop for Bill Wagner. As Bill and I became acquainted, we discovered
our mutual interest in winemaking. Bill hired me in 1975, and I started to work
in the vineyards and helped build the winery. I was working as assistant
winemaker in 1982 when then winemaker Chris Johnson elected to return to
California. Bill offered me the job of winemaker, but I didn’t feel I was quite
ready to take on the job alone. The next week, Ann Raffetto walked into the
winery looking for a job. She had a degree in Fermentation Science from UC
Davis. Our backgrounds were complementary, and Ann said let’s work together and
make some great wine. We have been doing that for the last 27 years.”

Ann Raffetto: “I was born and raised in California, where I
attended the University of California at Davis and earned my degree in
Fermentation Science (now called Enology) in 1981. Following graduation I
wanted to work in an emerging wine region outside of California and fell in
love with the Finger Lakes region. I found the natural beauty, the changing
seasons and the region’s outdoor and lake activities appealing. I have been at
Wagner’s since 1983. Other wineries I have worked for include Glenora, Herman
Weimer, Columbia Winery in Washington and Adelsheim Vineyards in Oregon.”

That brings me to my point, the Wagner Vineyards Meritage
2010. Now, I cannot lie. I have had some very nice wines fromWagner, but I didn’t
remember the Meritage. I wasn’t sure of what to make of it. Rieslings and
chardonnays, and Cabernet Franc, yes, I had seen and tasted, but not the
Meritage. It’s important to know, they bottle a Meritage blend only in
exceptional years -- prior bottlings were in 2001 and 2007. But I remembered
John and Ann, and thought, OK, let’s go with it. And I was thrilled with their
results.

The 2010 Wagner Meritage is a Bordeaux-styled blend of 54%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc. Fermented on skins until
dry followed by malolactic fermentation. Individual varieties barrel were aged
in American oak for 11 months prior to blending and bottling. They made
approximately 998 cases, according to their notes.

The nose is a powerful big bowl of stewed dark berries,
blueberries, blackberry, dark raspberry and cherries. There are whiffs of
vanilla, spices, and mocha, and dark chocolate. On the palate the dark
cherries, blackberries and raspberries come through with hints of dark
chocolate and cassis. Incredible. The acidity is high enough that it makes for
a great balance, and the tannins are present enough, but not over powering. The
wine is very well balanced. It’s absolutely beautiful! Elegant, strong, and
lean!

A nice wine you can buy and drink or cellar for a nice long
time 5-10 year without question.

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About Me

Carlo DeVito is a long time wine lover, and author of books and magazine articles. He is the author of Wineries of the East Coast. He has traveled to wine regions in California, Canada, up and down the east coast, France, Spain and Chile. He has been a published executive for more than 20 years. He shepherded the wine book program of Wine Spectator as well as worked with Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Matt Kramer, Tom Stevenson, Evan Dawson, Greg Moore, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He has also published Salvatore Calabrese, Jim Meehan, Clay Risen, and Paul Knorr.
Mr. DeVito is the inventor of the mini-kit which has sold more than 100,000,000 copies world wide. He has also publisher such writers as Stephen Hawking, E. O Wilson, Philip Caputo, Gilbert King, James McPherson, John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, David Margolick, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.
He is also the owner of Hudson-Chatham Winery, co-founder of the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, and president of the Hudson Valley Wine Country.
https://carlodevito.wordpress.com/